The final phase of each player's turn is the building phase. This allows a good trader to acquire the resources that may be eluding him, whether due to position or the roll of the die. After rolling the die and gathering any resources produced, the player whose turn it is may trade with other players or with the bank. Thus even when it is not your turn, you are collecting resource cards. For instance, if you roll an 8, any player that has a settlement adjacent to a resource hexagon marked with an '8' receives a resource card of that type. The number rolled determines which resource hexagons produce resources for that turn. Firstly, a player begins by rolling the two dice. The typical turn consists of three different 'phases,' although players may not always choose to do all three. When each player has finished placing their initial settlements, regular play begins. Players also attach one road to their settlement, which can branch out along any path between tiles. These are placed on the corners of the resource hexagons, so that each settlement sits on an intersection of three different resource hexagons. The game begins with an initial settlement phase, where each player gets to place two settlements on the board.

Each player has a set of colored wooden settlements, roads, and cities to use in developing Catan. After fitting the tiles into the frame, small number tokens are placed on each tile, with numbers ranging from 2-12 (these being the numbers which can be rolled with two dice). Each of the 19 tiles represents a resource - lumber, brick, ore, grain, or wool - with the exception of one desert tile. The board consists of 19 hexagonal tiles which fit randomly into a larger hexagonal frame depicting the sea. To this end, you have to produce resources with which you can continue developing. The basis of the game is that you represent a group of settlers trying to establish yourself on the distant isle of Catan.

What really makes this game stand out is that the unique construction of the game board generates a different board every time you play, which keeps the game fresh and causes you to think through your strategy differently each game. Strategy is indeed important, although not at such an intense level as in Chess or Risk, yet the roll of the die can cause even the most astute plan to fall short, or likewise, it can bolster a position that is seemingly inferior. While some games (such as Chess) depend solely on strategy and may intimidate some, and others revolve completely around luck which may not be engaging enough for others, Settlers of Catan is the perfect blend of strategy and luck, making it appealing to almost everyone. My husband and I are avid game players, and we cannot recommend this game too highly! We were fortunate to meet friends that introduced Settlers of Catan to us last fall, and since then we have gotten many family members and friends hooked as well.

Catan seafarers 5-6 player extension